The Taste of Others (2000)

This is a character film, a portrait etched in dialogue between the self-written lead and the wandering sympathies of simple, well-executed cinematography. Echoes of Bacri's erstwhile partner-in-crime, Resnais, abound in image and in the weight of unspoken actions. These glances and comedic zooms denoue with the sharpness of Tati, without clouding the gravity of the story.

And it is a meticulously woven story they Jaoui gives us, at a pace that might leave an impatient viewer distracted. Tracking Bacri, smooth pans move ethereally through Petit-Bourgeois sets, ever pressing the banality of her subject. The middle-aged businessman in mid-life crisis is a bittersweet choice for comedy: bitter in its reality and sweet in the familiarity, he is tantamount to a French David Brent. Castella is a character whose weakness is sympathetic to the point of embarrassment.

By contrast, the hand-held and quick cutting that accompanies the theatre troupe and artists expresses the impatience we see in their speech, the bitter jealousy of the unsuccessful and arrogant intellectual. An attack on 'her own people', Jaoui here takes a dig at many of her peers in favour of the senior man, giving Devaux hints of the autobiographical that echo down to Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino.

A soundtrack bridging centuries evokes the knowledge of the older man on screen as well as of the auditorium. Kathleen Ferrier's warble punctuates moments of silence as we observe Castella's nonplussed expression, while Metheny and Murray smash and spark away in background to the Bohemians. These interludes mark sea changes in viewer sympathy, serving to give some degree of cultural empathy to the characters.

Above all, though, the music and rhythm of cinematography, script and music span great clashes in taste. A mesh of contempt and desire that result in a rounded and masterful work, with appeal for all but with affection for those with grey streaks in their hair.

Fmovies: Yes, it is a great film. Not all the directors achieve to combine well the stories. "The Taste of others" must be a model from this point of view. It has moved me to buy and read again Ibsen's "Hedda Gabbler". A good comedy, plenty of touching moments. 9 points and the Oscar for this little French jewel.

What a joy to find a film written and acted by Adults to inform and entertain Other Adults. Matrix-loving-popcorn heads can give this one a miss and hurry to the next American Pie infantalia. What a joy, too, to realize that the Cesars got it right this time around and handed this entry a bagful. There is so much to ENJOY here from the circular storyline - Castella owns a factory and employs a chauffeur and a bodyguard. His wife drags him to the theatre where a neice is appearing in 'Berenice', a French classic in verse. Castella is a complete philistine from the shoes up and would rather give the play a miss and come back for the curtain. BUT, surprise, surprise, playing the lead is Clara Davaux, a woman he had interviewed as an English teacher and dismissed without a second thought. Now, he sees her in a new light and falls in mid-life crisis. Clara drinks and eats in a bar where Manie works. Manie deals on the side. Castella drops in for a bite to eat with chauffeur and bodyguard. It seems that the chauffeur has had sex with Manie and does not remember. They resume their relationship whilst Castella now books English lessons from Clara like there's no tomorrow. The chauffeur introduces Manie to the bodyguard and before long he and Manie are in the sack as well. All roads lead back to Castella and after being attacked he winds up in Manie's bathroom for some tlc. By now he has declared his feelings for Clara and been deep-sixed, yet when she stars as Hedda Gabler she longs to see him in the audience. The acting is so perfect it makes your teeth ache. The scene where Castella reads Clara a poem he has written for her is painful to watch because it is written and acted with such honesty. Both writers - Jean-Pierre Bacri (Castella) and Agnes Jaoui (Manie), who also directed, have not flinched from writing scenes in which they come off the worse for wear. Of course, with the track record of Jaoui and Bacri - before this they wrote and starred in On Connait le Chanson and Un air de famille - you expect only the finest and that is what they deliver here, even Bacri's character name, Castella, has overtones of Bob Castella, the great pianist-composer who was, for decades, the accompanist for Yves Montand. I can only guess whether any homage was intended but whether or not it is just another bonus to an unforgettable film. This was Jaoui's debut as director and her second effort (working title: Comme d'un Image, is now in the Cutting Room. She's gonna have a tough time eclipsing this one but if she DOES ... 10/10

The Taste of Others fmovies. This French film is wonderfully scripted. Human and endearing. Two love stories are mirrored in this delightful movie. The boss of a manufacturing plant is wealthy but uncultured. He falls for an English teacher and a stage actress who thinks he is shallow and stupid. Meanwhile his bodyguard who is a former policeman has a love affair that must fail because the woman he is with is also a drug dealer. The script is serious and funny, the performances are tight and the direction, editing, music and cinematography all perfectly complimentary.

Let other users tell the story of this little, yet surprisingly success-growing movie. The title might say it all: every character tries to please someone else, in other words, tries to meet the taste of the others. Sadly, it seems a very difficult result to accomplish, since the fate of everyone is bound to solitude and misunderstanding. There seems to be one exception to the rule: surprisingly, it is the character that, for all the movie long, has been treated like the most foolish and disgusting (Castella). The end does not tell, we don't know whether he and his beloved, funny and complicated actress will meet. At least, he tried to change its life and, whilst trying to get closer to her (pretending to love art and theater), he discovers something deeper and true about himself. In this respect, a happy end would have been completely inconsistent with the movie and would not have added anything to the depiction of the characters. People get close only to lose each other, the director seems to say. The driver's girl will not come back from America, the barmaid and the former policeman are not corageous enough to make the first step. A fine written movie as it is rare to see these days (8/10).

This debut for Jaoui (playing the role of Manie) as a director is a great comedy. Hilarious, but not over the top. 'Le Goût des Autres' has some very sharp dialogues filled with subtle jokes and delivered by a perfect cast. It was no surprise to learn afterwards that the same screenwriters wrote the script for 'Un Air de Famille' by Cedric Klapisch, another French comedy at its best. But this one is without a doubt one of the most enjoyable movies of the year. A well deserved Oscar-nominee for 'best foreign language film'.